Time to get pampered

Instead of a quiet, relaxing environment, the sounds of a crying toddler come through, not just one but two. The place smells of nail polish and nail polish remover, some of the workers have to wear masks from having to deal with the smells of the chemicals all day. The woman with the two crying toddlers quiets one down by letting her get her toenails painted, red with some white polka dots; the other cries because he's "ready to go bye-bye".

The room is filled with women and one man getting themselves pampered, and of course the people who make it possible, the employees. After the woman with the crying toddlers leaves, all is quiet and peaceful again, but her presence is expected again since in the chair that she sat in are her keys waiting for her to come back.

The employees are so focused on the jobs, watching them work is quite remarkable, how they move so quickly yet be so gentle on their clients hands and feet, the work of art they create with tiny brushes and how they can change the look of a simple nail with all their gadgets and tools.

 Occasionally, they question their clients how they are doing or trying to make small talk that doesn't last long. Some clients having to ask for them to repeat their questions or answers because they are hard to understand. Yet, the employees talk amongst themselves in their native language, making me wonder what they are saying, or who they are talking about, since they look up at everyone every now and then trying to be discrete.

The one lady that is there with her husband seems quite content to have him there with her getting a pedicure too. The look on his face seems like he’s enjoying it as well. The ages of the women in this place vary greatly, with the oldest looking to be around 62 and the youngest, accompanied by her mother I assume, seems to be around 15.

When a new customer walks in, they search for any employee and ask how long the wait is; however, they all get sent to one man in a navy blue shirt, while the employees where a baby blue shirt. I assume he is the manager since he asks the clients what they want and he sends them to an employee.

While they work on the clients, they ask certain questions, for example if they want gel nail polish, if they want a little design, or what kind of treatment they want to use. If the customer says yes, the employee begins to yell something to the man in the navy blue shirt and he writes it down; maybe adding the additional costs to the clients receipt. Since there are no prices listed on the walls or pictures, they must all know it by memory, the only exception being the $15 over the gel nail polish.

Around 13 new clients have arrived since my time here, walking in with fingernails and toenails that need pampering and walking out with a smile on their face. Isn’t it amazing how something so simple can make someone feel so beautiful? Whether if it’s just some polish on your nails, or a simple black line that goes on the eyelids. Ladies, you know what I’m talking about. Hopefully, the woman with the crying toddlers soon realizes she left her keys behind. Now, it is my turn to get a pedicure for the first time. Let’s see how that goes!